Two oil supertankers were disabled by massive explosions in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday night after they ignored warnings against using what Iran called an "unauthorised route", Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said on Thursday.

The statement, reported by Reuters, gave no details on what caused the explosions and did not name the vessels or say whether anyone was hurt. Iranian media reports put the two ships' combined cargo at more than four million barrels of crude oil.

A pattern of attacks on shipping

The incident follows a string of attacks on commercial shipping in the world's most important oil waterway. Earlier in the war between the United States, Israel and Iran, which began in February, the Revolutionary Guards Navy said it had struck tankers directly. More recently it has said vessels caught fire after hitting naval mines while using a southern route it describes as unauthorised.

In several cases, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency has said tankers in the strait were struck by unknown projectiles, underlining how little is independently confirmed about each incident even as shipping risks keep rising.

Diplomacy stalls as shipping risks grow

The waterway matters far beyond the region. The US Energy Information Administration has estimated average oil flows through the strait at about 20 million barrels a day in 2024, roughly a fifth of global petroleum liquids consumption, and flows have contracted during 2026 as the war has dragged on.

The explosions came as diplomatic efforts to end the eight-month war showed little sign of progress. Iran says it has sent Washington its latest response through Qatari mediators and is waiting for an official reply, while its security chief has ruled out sending enriched uranium abroad and warned of retaliation beyond the region if the United States strikes again.